Dan Bongino is a former NYPD officer and Secret Service agent. He is currently a politician, political commentator, radio show host, and author. He is popular for his conservative views as he is a member of the Republican Party who has run for congress 3 different times – in 2012, 2014, and 2016, although he lost all three times. Bongino is also known as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and has published 2 different books in support and defense of Trump.
A former police officer, it is known that he started out his career as a cop due to the abuse he suffered as a child. His transition from the police force to politics is definitely considered an interesting move.
Dan Bongino’s Parents Got Divorced When He Was Still A Child
Daniel John Bongino was born on the 4th of December, 1974 in Queens, New York City, United States of America. There are no details about the identity of his parents however, it is believed that his family’s lineage is Italian – this fact was clarified by Dan in a tweet in which he denied being black and claimed to be Italian. The only known fact about his biological parents’ relationship is that they got divorced when he was quite young.
Like their personal lives, the real reason his parents ended their marriage is not known to the public. Well, the usual reason – ‘irreconcilable differences’ given by many couples seeking divorce cannot be ruled out. However, Dan has kept mute about the fact as he has not made mention of it since he came into the limelight.
He Was Physically Abused By His Stepfather
After his family broke up, his mother married a heavily built heavyweight boxer who was abusive towards Dan and his younger brother Joe. Dan described his stepfather as a mean drunk with hands like ham hocks who was fond of beating up Dan’s younger brother. Dan revealed that his stepfather choked him a few times too and child welfare visited their house all the time but couldn’t do much to help them.
Dan moved out of his mother’s house when he turned 15 with his younger brother in tow. He got an apartment in Middle Village with help from his father as he continued his education in New York. Dan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Queens College, City University of New York and after this, proceeded to receive a Masters of Psychology from this same school. Still, on the quest to acquire knowledge, he bagged a Masters of Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University.
His Turbulent Childhood Days Made Him Carve A Career In Law Enforcement
Amidst the constant abuse he suffered in his childhood, Dan had a life-changing experience that informed his choice of career in law enforcement. He revealed that as mean as his stepfather was, the only thing that ever scared him was the police. He shared an encounter where a petite female cop instructed his tall Italian stepfather to leave and he complied. Dan who already had plans of becoming a doctor was so inspired by that encounter that he changed his career path.
As a result, after his education, Dan Bongino went on to work for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) between 1995 to 1999. After his time with the NYPD, he join the United States Secret Service as a special agent and worked in New York for about 3 years and in 2002, he moved to Beltsville, Maryland to become a training instructor at the Secret Service Training Academy.
During the presidential term of George Bush in 2006, Bongino was assigned to be on the U.S Presidential Protection Division Unit and remained in this unit even when President Barack Obama was sworn in. He retired from the secret service in 2011 to run for the U.S Senate.
Bongino Turned In Politics To Make A Difference
Despite spending the most part of his career protecting politicians, he didn’t dream of becoming one until his first child was born. After spending his entire life studying macro-economics, he knew the huge deficits being accrued would soon result in dire economic circumstances. He could see the political problems of his generation being carelessly passed to the next. He decided to go into politics to make a difference.
However, while running for the senate seat, Dan Bongino came under a lot of criticism. He was accused by former colleagues of using the Secret Service as a propelling tool in his political ambition and that he also exaggerated his importance as a Secret Service agent during his time in the White House. In 2013, Dan released a book titled “Life Inside The Bubble” and the book gave the narration of his experience inside the White House. He has gone ahead to release other books like ”The Fight: A Secret Service Agent’s Inside Account of Security Failings and the Political Machine” (2016) as well as ”Follow the Money: The Shocking Deep State Connections of the Anti-Trump Cabal” (2020).
With regard to his political aspirations, Dan has not been successful as his plans to run for congress have been futile on 3 occasions, which is 2012, 2014, and 2016. He has, instead, worked as radio hos and commentator on several local and national radio programs.
Nonetheless, he is still notable as a Republican conservative and a supporter of Donald Trump.
He Is Married To A Columbian National
Dan Bongino is one of the few politicians that has been very upfront and honest about the struggle that is involved in having a stable marriage. Naturally, one would think the cultural differences in Dan’s Italian-American roots and his wife, Paula’s Colombian heritage might create friction in their relationship but that was never the case as they both share a passion for hard work and the Catholic faith. However, they have had their fair share of issues which ranged from Paula’s mom’s initial rejection of Dan, and being stressed out about the kids and taking it out on each other. Despite all this, they have continued to work out their differences and have been better for it.
The pair also have a heartwarming love story as they met through a blind date set up by a mutual friend back in 2001. They had their first date in a New York restaurant named Sullivan’s. Dan quickly fell for Paula’s beauty and was persistent about taking things further. However, two weeks after their first date, the September 9/11 attacks happened and Dan began to panic – he couldn’t reach Paula at her workplace as she worked at Ground Zero at the Securities Industry Association. Unknown to him, Paula was in Nevada visiting her mother when the attack occurred. Dan finally got through to her and from then on the pair decided to start a relationship.
A couple of years later, Dan Bongino proposed to Paula in the same restaurant where they had their first date. The duo has since gotten married and has two daughters. Their first daughter was born in 2004 and is named Isabel while their second daughter named, Amelia, was born in 2012. At the moment, Dan’s kids are young girls still in school and they attend school in Palm City, Florida where the family lives after moving from Maryland in 2015.
Dan Bangino Owned Several Business Outfits With His Wife, Paula Andrea
Asides from being husband and wife the duo have been business partners. Together they run three businesses from their Florida home which includes selling martial arts apparel, offer to consult on security and risk management, and also designing of websites. They started these businesses in 2012.
However, when Dan Bongino was asked about them in 2016 while he was running for office, he said that they had since closed down the business. It is also known that his wife was once the director in charge of Web Development at the Securities Industry Association.
